New Massey Ferguson 135 PTO seal leaking

[BlueSpruceHunter]

So, went to look at the 135 that I've been looking for, for like 8 months. Finally found it. 1972, Perkins diesel with around 4000 hours on it. Looked pretty good. Needed a jump to start since battery was way passed dead but, ran without a hitch or hiccup for the 30 minutes I had it running and driving around. No major fluid leaks. No smoke other than on start up for like 30 seconds Other than some minor things, I did notice two things that I'm minorly concerned with.

1. Fluid leaking from PTO seal. I'm going to change the fluid anyways but, wondering how much of a pain it is to change that seal?

2. While shifting, it shifted great, just moving the gear shift into the gears, it was a little tough. went into all of them without a hitch, but took a little torque on my end to do it a bit. What would cause this and should I be worried?

 

[PatrickS2222]

Sounds like a GOOD one! In fact, it sounds just like ours, but with about 10 000 hours less! Buy it ... these points you mentioned are minor.

The PTO seal has about five gallons of (gearbox/rear-end/hydraulic) oil behind it ... two plugs to drain it from. Watch for water (milkiness looking oil).
A couple bolts, a slide hammer - or a bolt through the hole in the shaft and two lever bars and the shaft, seal and bearing should come out. You will be astounded at the sturdiness of the seal they put there - only age or grass wrapping aroung the shaft will hurt them. From memory, a circlip and it's apart. All very easy.
The stiffness in shifting is either lack of recent use, lack of total use (lack of wear) or just normal ... understand these are sliding gear - LARGE gears, not a small gearbox at all.
Grab it while you can, oils filters - especially fuel filters and you'll never look back!

 

[BlueSpruceHunter]

Sounds like a GOOD one! In fact, it sounds just like ours, but with about 10 000 hours less! Buy it ... these points you mentioned are minor.

The PTO seal has about five gallons of (gearbox/rear-end/hydraulic) oil behind it ... two plugs to drain it from. Watch for water (milkiness looking oil).
A couple bolts, a slide hammer - or a bolt through the hole in the shaft and two lever bars and the shaft, seal and bearing should come out. You will be astounded at the sturdiness of the seal they put there - only age or grass wrapping aroung the shaft will hurt them. From memory, a circlip and it's apart. All very easy.
The stiffness in shifting is either lack of recent use, lack of total use (lack of wear) or just normal ... understand these are sliding gear - LARGE gears, not a small gearbox at all.
Grab it while you can, oils filters - especially fuel filters and you'll never look back!

Thanks brother! That's what I was thinking. Needed a new food plot/ habitat management/ mowing tractor that I can cart around easier. This one is the perfect fit it seems!

 

[PatrickS2222]

Yes mate, you will keep this one forever! Be happy it's a 135, its diesel, Perkins = as reliable as the sun. We call ours "Unkillable". The 23C 4cyl diesels in MF35s were also very reliable without the ignition and carb issues of petrol engines. They were, however, sometimes unwilling to start in sub-freezing temperatures but they did seem to maintain grip very well because the engine seemed to have a very smooth torque delivery. I grew up on our 35 - Dad's first tractor, and our 135 - which he bought new. I have them both here and will never sell either.
135s were a little more modern and refined but retained most of the 35's durability and dependability. They were known as one of the best all-time models of farm tractor and millions were sold all over the world.
It should have a 2-stage clutch - you will find this a huge benefit when using PTO-driven implements and even just when raising the 3PT while stationary ... awesome feature! :thumbsup:
Keep it in a shed, use good clean fuel, filters, service the air filter (remember it's oil-bath), download a good workshop manual (from AGCO is best) and understand it is no longer new, but certainly still fit and capable for years to come.
Oh, and we love lots of pics! :drink: